IT Solutions:Hardware and Management Guide

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• Focusing on innovation in the IT department

• Managing digital transformation with success

• Securing district-wide buy-in for new tech

• Top 10 priorities for IT leaders

• Ensuring accessible content

• Navigating a tech upgrade

• Supporting multiple screens and devices

• Top challenges for CTOs

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Duncanville High School Supplements BYOD Program With Laptop Kiosks

At Duncanville High School in Texas, a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program allows students to use their personal laptop, tablet, or smart phone for learning. But there are some students in this school of nearly 4,000 pupils who don’t own a digital device. And for students whose only device is a smart phone, writing an essay or producing other content can be challenging.

“It’s much easier to use a laptop to create content,” says Shawntee Cowan, chief technology officer for the Dun-canville Independent School District.

The Duncanville High School library has laptop carts that teachers can borrow for instruction, but district leaders wanted to give individual students the oppor-tunity to borrow laptops to complete their schoolwork

as well. A few years ago, they installed a 12-bay laptop dispensing kiosk from LaptopsAnytime in the high school’s library. The kiosk proved to be so popular with students that the school has since added a second 12-bay kiosk to meet the demand.

From August 2018 through April 2019, the two kiosks seamlessly handled nearly 3,000 laptop checkouts. “Every time I visit the library, the ki-osks are empty—which tells me the laptops are being used,”

Students can borrow a laptop by scanning their ID badge and typing their network password into the con-sole. The kiosk takes a picture of them in case there is a problem, and it requires them to read and agree to the terms of service. Once students promise that they will use the device responsibly and will return it by the end of the day, the kiosk dispenses a laptop.

Students return a laptop by simply in-serting it into one of the empty bays. The kiosk automatically recharges the de-vice and returns it to its original state.

Duncanville has stocked both of its

kiosks with rugged Dell laptops. “I was a little hesitant at first,” Cowan says, “but I’m proud to say that we hav-en’t had any broken, lost, or stolen laptops.” Administra-tion of the kiosks has been simple as well, she observes, noting: “This has not been one of my pain points.”

The initiative is meeting its goal of increasing stu-dents’ access to technology, and Cowan is thinking about adding kiosks at other Duncanville schools as well. “It has been very successful,” she says.

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Guides About eSN Guides

We are excited to bring you the latest in the eSchool News Guides series. eSchoolNews Guides are full of resources, tips, trends, and insights from industry experts on avariety of topics that are essential to the classroom, school, and district.The March Guide, the eSchool News IT Solutions: Hardware and Management

Guide, offers insight on the best approaches to IT priorities and management. The guidehighlights how IT leaders have handled multi-device classrooms, large-scale Wi-Firefreshes, digital transformation, and more.In the guide, we take a look at how IT leaders work with administrators and teachers

to secure district buy-in for new technology, and we also check in with experts to outlinea few ways to navigate a technology upgrade.We put a spotlight on examples of how real IT leaders make innovation a priority for

their district, and we examine priorities such as content accessibility, broadband access, andsupporting UDL.You also can find a complete list of IT hardware and management partners and compa-

nies in the guide.We’ll release a new guide at the beginning of each month, and we’ll feature content

focused around each guide’s topic throughout the month. Stay tuned for eSchool NewsGuides on library media technology, online/blended learning, and more. Each guide alsooffers a comprehensive index of all the companies involved in that month’s specific focusarea.We hope you’ll share this eSchool News IT Solutions: Hardware and Management

Guide with your colleagues and use it to learn a bit more about how school leaders andeducators can create engaging learning experiences for students.P.S. – If you missed any of our other Guides, such as the eSchool News STEM,

STEAM & Makerspaces Guide or the eSchool News Digital & Mobile LearningGuide, you can find them here.

About eSchool News Guides

Contents

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Marketplace Update10 priorities for K-12 IT leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

K-12 STEM/STEAM Trending NewsCTO headaches: Five complex district challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Helping IT teams manage digital transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

These 10 things will either hinder or support innovation in 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

5 priorities for broadband access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

7 ways to secure district-wide teacher buy-in for new tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Here’s how to support multi-screen classrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

5 ways our centralized LMS supports UDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

7 strategies to navigate a tech upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

How we turned around our ability to support wi-fi innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Company Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

2020-2021 MONTHLY GUIDE EDITORIAL CALENDAR

April 2020 Online and BlendedLearning

May 2020 Curriculum, SEL & Instructional Tools

June 2020 Library & MediaTechnology

July 2020 Esports

August 2020 Data Management & Storage

September 2020 CommunicationTechnology (including Wireless Products)

October 2020 Robotics

November 2020 Digital & MobileLearning

December 2020 School Safety

January 2021 MultimediaPresentation Systems

February 2021 STEM, STEAM, & Makerspaces

March 2021 IT Solutions:Hardware & Management

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GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Marketplace Update

BY LAURA ASCIONEManaging Editor, Content Services

School districts are moving to highlydigital ecosystems, and K-12 IT leadershave more and more to manage toensure that teaching and learning can goon uninterrupted by failing or clunkytechnology.CoSN’s annual IT Leadership

Survey offers critical insight intowhat’s expected of today’s K-12 ITleaders. The survey’s findings help toidentify areas where IT leaders mightneed more support and assistance asthey work tirelessly to meet the ITneeds of administrators, teachers, andstudents.“From managing infrastructure and

cloud-based services to rostering andpasswords, the sphere of IT leaderresponsibilities continues to expand.Ultimately, IT leaders are connectingadministrators to operational efficiency,teachers to actionable insights, and stu-dents to opportunity. As districts focuson closing the homework gap, IT lead-ers have another dot to connect–homeaccess,” according to the survey.IT hardware and management com-

panies such as LaptopsAnytime—which offers kiosks that give studentsand educators access to the right laptop,tablet, or combo device at the righttime--along with others such asImpero, Classlink, and Skyward, arejust a few of the partners aiming to helpschool and district IT leaders with thisbalancing act.The survey breaks down the top 10

findings to help IT leaders manage their responsibilities and outline theirpriorities.10 things impacting K-12 ITleaders this year1. Cybersecurity is the top priority

for IT leaders today. It comes as no sur-prise, according to the survey, because

school districts collect more data andthreats to that data are increasing.2. The top 3 challenges faced by IT

leaders for the past 3 years remain thesame: budget, professional develop-ment, and breaking down departmentsilos.3. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

strategies declining in popularity. Theyare used by only 16 percent of schooldistricts, probably as a result lower costdevices being introduced to the market.4. Virtually all IT leaders (95 per-

cent) agree that addressing the home-work gap is a concern for their district.This is a significant change. Last year30 percent of leaders indicated digitalequity was not important issue for theirdistrict vs. only 5 percent one year later.5. Print is not dead. Past predictions

have been overly optimistic. For 67 percent of districts, print still comprisesat least half of their instructional materials.6. There is some progress on all areas

of interoperability, but only SingleSign-On (SS0) has been fully imple-mented in more than a quarter of schoolsystems.

7. This survey identifies a number ofways in which IT leaders are looking tobe more relevant to teachers and learn-ing, with 75 percent of IT Leaders say-ing it is important to be more responsiveto educator IT needs in the classroom.8. The largest percentage of IT lead-

ers continue to have education back-grounds (40 percent), followed by thosewith technical backgrounds (35 per-cent), a growing number from busi-ness/management backgrounds (20 per-cent) and other (3 percent).9. Lack of ethnic and racial diversity

in school district IT leadership remainsa serious problem in most school sys-tems, with no progress since last year.“The ethnic and racial diversity of ITleaders continues to look very differentfrom the population they serve,”according to the report.10. The percentage of women in

school district IT leadership roles hasdeclined in recent years. In 2016,women made up 36 percent and men 64percent of IT leadership positions, andin this year’s survey, the breakdown is28 percent female and 77 percent male.

10 priorities for K-12 IT leadersWith increased data and connectivity come threats to school networks and a focus onequity—and K-12 IT leaders have their plates full managing these challenges, and more

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Guides K-12 IT Solutions Trending News

BY JOHN CONNOLLY ANDMICHAEL ARENSDORFCTOs juggle countless district chal-

lenges—they have many high-profilesystems, implementations, and changesthey manage each year. At times, someof the biggest headaches are the low-priority projects that are complex bynature and time-consuming, but thatalso have a large reach in our districts.Technology leaders from across the

nation shared and discussed some ofthese district challenges at CoSN’s2019 conference. While the groupshared a number of different solutions,the collective conversation for the ses-sion focused on the idea that CTOs havenot identified solutions to these districtchallenges and.With that said, following are the five

main issues CTOs discussed:Onboarding/existing staffOne of the most complex challenges

in any organization is the one thattouches the most departments: HR,Technology, Business, Facilities,Curriculum/Instruction, SchoolLeaders, etc. It is the first impressionof our district and schools for newemployees and a huge risk footprint forexisting employees if not managedwell. Technology department chal-lenges include ensuring awareness ofstaffing changes before the start or enddate, the timing for system access,transition plans for providingaccess/files from the outgoing staffmember to the new employee, manag-ing family name changes and timing,managing multiple building access lev-els, first day procedures, etc. Even witha system in place, making sure alldepartments adhere to the definedprocesses can be challenging.

Solutions:• Streamline onboarding and exiting ofstaff through automating systems andscripting. (Systems referenced wereLaserfiche, Smartsheets, andPowershell scripts.)• Leveraging Google forms andUltradox to automate part of theonboarding process, suggested byCentralia School District (WA)• Maintain consistent and open commu-nication/planning with HumanResources and Technology depart-ments throughout the year. Holdstanding quarterly meetings to addresshot-button items occurring at certaintimes of the year (i.e. new staff isready for orientation in August).• Use Cloud Migration Systems to sim-plify user creation and transfer owner-ship between employees. (Systemsreferenced were Bettercloud andSyscloud.

Paper to digital formsMany districts have too many paper

forms that are filled out and then filedinto a cabinet. Moving physical paper andmultiple signatures is inefficient, costsmoney and time, does not include any

automation, and does not offer searchcapabilities once papers are in a file cabi-net. Challenges include looking at a mar-ket that is broken into two segments: dig-ital forms/workflow systems and docu-ment management systems. Both areexpensive and cumbersome. In additionto the cost concerns, a number of othersreceived mention: workflow solutionswith multiple approvers, finding time toimplement a solution with fidelity, settingup retention rules, change in practice foraccessing digitally rather than print outthe forms, and an exit strategy to exportall documents if an employee leaves thesystem are all additional considerations.

Solutions:• Systems that manage both digitalforms and workflow–Laserfiche toaddress the workflow and unreliablepaper passing process (For PD requestforms, contracts, Special Educationtransportation, field trip request)• Manage contracts with Docusign• Costs–leverage a subscription modelrather than a perpetual/expensiveoption• Leverage the online student/familyregistration process to include many ofthe paper-based forms

CTO headaches: Five complex district challengesTech leaders have their plates full—here's how many of them view some of the most

stubborn district challenges

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GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Trending News

Application saturation

There is an application for every-thing. Many districts and organizationsare drowning in this challenge. When anew district director takes over a busi-ness unit, it is almost a given that theywill have an application specific to theirpart of the organization–HR, Business,Instruction, SPED, etc. When looked atin a vacuum, it may make sense andseem easy to set up and manage.However, new district challenges ariserelated to the costs when looking at alldistrict applications, end user experi-ence with having to navigate SIS inte-gration, data de-centralization, data pri-vacy, school year rollover processing,and training new staff. These are spin-ning out of control in many of our dis-tricts.

Solutions:• Implement a standard applicationprocess for new online tools• Collaborate with attorneys to have astandard data service and data sharingagreements• Partner with Learn Platform to providetransparency in the applications thathave been approved, denied and/or inprogress in district; in addition; pro-vides a tool to measure impact of ROI(return on investment) and ROV(return on value)• Educate leadership–provide a list ofapplications and costs to create aware-ness of this issue• Single-sign on solutions (such asClasslink, Clever, and IdentityAutomation)

IT staff training

Training IT staff is critical for devel-opment and to make sure district techleaders are investing in their teams.However, this is easier said than done.Challenges include finding time to pro-vide the training, delivery method foronline self-paced or face-to-face, relevanttraining that can be applied, industrychanging to simplification of enterprisetechnology, staff turnover, and costs.

Solutions:• Developing a consistent schedule ofprofessional learning for staff and a testenvironment for staff to apply learning• Bi-weekly IT department hangouts tocover a specific topic• Encourage certifications and growthwith entry level staff• Self-paced solutions such as Pluralsiteor curated free videos (i.e. ProfessorMesser)

Data and data dashboardsData will continue to become more

critical with programs like ESSA, theneed to use analytics, and as districttech leaders begin to envision the futurewith big data and automations. Buildinga data dashboard is complex. Systemsare expensive and can take up to a yearto get running. Costs for external sys-tems are usually based on the number ofteachers or students to maximize vendorcosts (not the true number of users).Other challenges are data cleansing(garbage in, garbage out), de-centraliza-tion of data in multiple systems, defin-ing metrics that typically change annu-ally, and data refresh rates all contributeto this headache.

Solutions:• Define requirements–district leader-ship teams should define who willhave access, identify goals for the dif-ferent metrics, and source information• Start small–these systems should havea focus with leadership and adminis-trative teams. Many teachers do nothave time to navigate data dashboards,so make sure scope and costs areadjusted properly.• Ongoing meetings and training withthe key groups entering in data–pro-vide data quality reports that empha-size standardizing on fields and entry.• External system that has a partnershipwith the SIS provider or integratesseamlesslyAs CTOs start to share and manage

the above complex district challenges,they can then move on to additionalheadaches if they are not already work-ing on the cyber security budget, databreach management, new passwordmanagement strategies, emergencycommunications, Artificial Intelligencethreats, managing the Internet ofThings, etc.As each district plans for these tran-

sitions, we’ve seen one key componentfor success: the opportunity to networkand collaborate with others across thenation doing this work. District techleaders have an incredible opportunityto learn from their peers in order forfuture implementations to be successful.

John Connolly serves as CTO forConsolidated High School District 230.Michael Arensdorff is the Senior Directorof Technology for Oak Park SchoolDistrict 97.

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Guides K-12 IT Solutions Trending News

BY PETER NEWTONFrom educators, IT teams, and

school administrators to parents andstudents, nearly everyone with a stakein the education industry is aware ofthe promise new digital technologieshold to improve learning outcomes,increase student engagement, and addvariety and depth to instruction andassessment.Whether they’re talking about one-

to-one computing initiatives, digitaltextbooks, using “smart” interactivewhiteboards and 3D printers in class-rooms, or moving to full-scale “flipped”instructional models, educators areexcited about technology’s potential.These innovations are making it pos-

sible for teachers to customize lessonsto suit individual learning styles, extendinstructional time beyond school hours,and better capture the attention andinterest of students.But digital transformation is also

threatening to overtax the resources ofdistrict IT teams, which are alreadychallenged to accomplish a great dealwith small staffs and limited budgets.With increasing reliance on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) learning applica-tions and growing numbers of student-owned devices connecting to schoolnetworks, educational IT environmentsare more complex and heterogeneousthan ever before.In addition, school buildings are

incorporating Internet of Things (IoT)devices to boost the efficiency of theirlighting and climate control systems,and adding facility monitoring andphysical security systems into theirnetworks.The increasing numbers and new

types of connected devices represent anenormous expansion of the network’s

attack surface. This challenge is compli-cated by the reality that IoT devices arenotoriously difficult for IT administra-tors to discover, monitor, and secure,and continues to be compounded as net-works become more distributed–requir-ing education IT teams need to secure

devices across multiple schools and net-works, rather than limiting technologydeployment to a single, centralizedlocation.Education IT budgets notgrowing as fast ascybersecurity challengesThe other half of the challenge is that

across the United States, overall educa-tional expenditures have remained rela-tively flat since 2009. The inevitableconsequence is that IT teams are beingasked to do more without seeing corre-sponding increases in the resourcesthey’re being allocated.Possibly as a result, several K-12

information security breaches haverecently garnered national media atten-tion, so the pressure is on: as education-al tools and strategies expand, school

districts are becoming more aware ofthe importance of developing broad androbust cybersecurity strategies and poli-cies across distributed locations andnetworks.Emphasis on security is especially

important as many schools are pledging

to follow best-practice guidelines devel-oped by external advocacy groups suchas the Consortium for SchoolNetworking (CoSN). Additionally, allmust conform to state and national gov-ernment mandates, including regulatorycompliance requirements such as theChildren’s Internet Protection Act(CIPA) – this stipulates that schoolsestablish internet safety policies andenforce them with technology controls.One of the biggest issues is that most

school districts are comprised of a num-ber of geographically dispersed build-ings. In rural areas especially, schoolbuildings may be many miles apart.Despite this, IT administration is stillusually coordinated from a single, cen-tralized facility. As a result, IT teams arechallenged to monitor and securenumerous endpoints in these various

Helping IT teams manage digital transformationDistrict IT teams are tasked with protecting distributed education networks fromattacks, while at the same time enabling digital growth

locations, while attacks may focus onthe edge, the local access layer, or theWAN itself.Traditionally, the solution was to

backhaul all traffic to the central net-work for inspection, but these “hub andspoke” style architectures often intro-duce latency and impede network per-formance for critical educational toolsand services. In addition, individualclassrooms increasingly require directconnections to cloud-based applicationsand internet resources, circumventing acentralized security strategy.Districts need integration,ease and simplicity ofmanagement incybersecurity solutionsGiven the nature of the budgetary

constraints school districts face, it’simperative that IT directors find tech-nology solutions that can be managedmost efficiently. Many have attemptedto cut costs by assembling a medley ofpoint solutions over time, only to dis-cover that they have become victims ofvendor and device sprawl, making theirtechnology stack ineffective and diffi-cult to maintain – especially across dis-tributed networks.The most effective strategy, both in

terms of budget and manpower, is afully-integrated, consolidated securityfabric made up of interconnecting com-ponents. This allows IT teams to securedistributed and complex environmentsfar more effectively with far less labor.In particular, educational institutionsneed to look for solutions that offer all-in-one single-pane-of-glass style man-agement for their entire remote infra-structure, including firewalls, switches,wireless access points, and networkaccess controls.Solutions designed for distributed

locations – such as schools locatedacross a district, satellite universitycampuses, or even different collegesand departments located across asprawling university campus – not onlyprovide cohesive end-to-end solutionsthat are more readily scalable, but suchunified systems offer enhanced visibili-

ty across the entire network. This visi-bility is extensible to numerous devicetypes, including school-issued, student-owned, and IoT devices, even whenthey’re being used off campus and out-side of school hours.Another key to achieving maximum

results with a small staff is the intelli-gent use of automation. The mostadvanced next-generation firewall solu-tions implemented as part of a distrib-uted school district or campus can auto-mate vulnerability and risk assessment,as well as the initiation of threat andincident response playbooks. Thisrelieves small IT teams of the burden ofmanually monitoring, logging, andreporting while facilitating rapid, highlycoordinated responses to intrusions andattacks. Tracking and reporting can alsobe automated for enhanced ability tomeet compliance requirements.Of course, distributed networks do

not come with a distributed IT staff.Solutions deployed on-site at schools tomanage and secure local networks,devices, and connections, therefore,need to include zero-touch deployment,remote management, configuration,patching, and updating, and automatedthreat and traffic management servicesto detect and respond to threats andmaintain the highest levels of perform-ance and connectivity without requiringhuman intervention.Improving performance andsecurity at each campusAs educators at schools across

regions come to rely on increasing num-bers of cloud-based applications tofacilitate learning in their classrooms, aswell as voice-activated and video-basedteaching tools, the legacy WAN infra-structures of most districts are becom-ing less able to meet end-users’ per-formance demands. With this in mind,education IT teams must seek securitysolutions that enable them to extendpolicies and controls to distributed cam-pus networks while maintaining per-formance, especially for latency-sensi-tive applications.Next-generation firewalls with built-

in SD-WAN capabilities can allow yourteam to meet networking and securityneeds within a single solution.Integrated switching managementensures seamless traffic managementand availability, while secure wirelessaccess points enable schools to providestudents with in-classroom Wi-Fiaccess, a vital component necessary forone-to-one computing. Selective webfiltering or blocking can dynamicallyprotect students from websites contain-ing malware or inappropriate content.These services, part of a true SD-

Branch solution designed for any organ-ization with a distributed footprint, notonly enable faster connectivity and bet-ter performance at the edge, but drivethat security deep into the local schoolnetwork, further simplifying and pro-tecting the management of their distrib-uted infrastructures.Final thoughtsThe very same digital technologies

that offer educators the greatest oppor-tunities to increase student engagement,improve learning outcomes, and indi-vidualize learning and assessment alsolead to an expansion in IT networkattack surfaces.To ensure that the digital privacy and

security of students is not at risk,schools must adopt comprehensive andintegrated security strategies thatinclude technologies that are simple todeploy, remotely manage and adminis-ter, and that incorporate intelligentautomation. It’s important to select aconverged solution that can meet indi-vidual schools’ network performanceand wireless access needs while alsooffering deep visibility into the localLAN environment.

Peter Newton is the Senior Director ofProduct Marketing for Fortinet. He hasmore than 15 years of experience in hightech product management and productmarketing. Newton is the product market-ing lead for Fortinet’s OperationalTechnology (OT) solution, including ICS& SCADA.

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GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Trending News

Guides K-12 IT Solutions Trending News

BY LAURA ASCIONEManaging Editor, Content Services

Digital equity remains a top hurdle toteaching and learning innovation inschools, while personalization and SELwill help accelerate innovation, accord-ing to a glimpse of CoSN’s next DrivingK-12 Innovation report.CoSN’s Driving K-12 Innovation ini-

tiative is an ongoing effort to keep schoolIT leaders up-to-date on how new tech-nologies impact different education stake-holders. The report and key findings willbe available here in the coming months.Hurdles hinder innovation in schools,

while accelerators support and buoy edtechinnovation in teaching and learning.

The top hurdles for 2020 are:1. Scaling and sustaining innovation2. Data privacy and ownership3. Evolution of teaching and learning4. Pedagogy vs. technology gap5. Digital equity

The top accelerators for 2020 are:1. Learners as creators2. Data-driven practices3. Personalization4. Social and emotional learning5. Building the human capacity of leaders

The research also identifies techenablers, which are tools school dis-tricts can leverage to overcome hurdlesand use accelerators as best as possible.

The top five tech enablers for 2020 are:1. Digital collaboration platforms2. Tools for privacy and safety online3. Analytics and adaptive technologies4. Cloud infrastructure5. Mobile devices

“This year we decided to combinethe Hurdles and Accelerators reports toincrease understanding of how the twotrends relate and encourage morenuanced discussions moving forward.We hope this year’s findings lead to newdialogues about how to transform learn-ing and improve student outcomes aswe look to the future,” says KeithKrueger, CoSN’s CEO.An advisory board of almost 100

education leaders worked together toidentify the 2020 trends. Two forthcom-ing reports will examine the trends andoffer real-life case studies.CoSN also is inviting all CoSN mem-

bers to submit their own examples,

projects, and resources that relate to2020’s top two tech enablers (digital col-laboration platforms and tools for priva-cy and safety online). Those submissionscould be featured on CoSN’s website andin future publications.In 2019, the top five hurdles were:

scaling and sustaining innovation, digi-tal equity, the gap between technologyand pedagogy, ongoing professionaldevelopment, and technology and thefuture of work.2019’s top five accelerators were:

learners as creators, data-driven prac-tices, personalization, design thinking,and building the capacity of humanleaders.

These 10 things will either hinder or support innovation in 2020Based on forthcoming reports, CoSN offers a sneak peek at what experts predict will be barriers to—or accelerators of—innovation in 2020

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GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Trending News

5 priorities for broadband accessA new report examines some of the critical components necessary to drive arobust broadband access programBY LAURA ASCIONEManaging Editor, Content Services

Equitable, reliable, and robust broad-band access both on and off campus isessential to support digital learning andprepare K-12 students for life and work.The declaration is a cornerstone of

Broadband Imperative III: DrivingConnectivity, Access and StudentSuccess, a new report from SETDA.In addition to advocating for equi-

table broadband access, the report dis-cusses innovative technologies and ped-agogical approaches to personalizelearning for all students.Seventeen percent of teens don’t

have reliable access to a device, mean-ing they can’t complete homework. Itisn’t always feasible for students to bor-row devices from schools, especially ifthe schools are in low-income areaswith limited resources.Comprehensive broadband planning is

another must-have to meet the needs ofteachers and students while avoiding atechnology disruption. Because digitallearning isn’t one-size-fits-all, school anddistrict leaders have to work collabora-tively to determine their teaching andlearning needs and how broadband accesssupports those goals. Designing networkcapacity to support those goals, whilealso allowing for future growth, will

ensure that digital learning needs are met.Examples within the report focus on

states and districts where robust band-width has already positively impactedteaching and learning.For instance, in California, the

Chaffey Joint Union High SchoolDistrict serves 23,894 students. Sixty-one percent of students qualify for freeor reduced school lunch. The districtoffice is connected at 100 Gbps viafiber-optic cable and shares that band-width with several other school dis-tricts. Schools connect over nine 10Gbps fiber-optic connections. Careerand Technical Education (CTE) path-

ways are provided via schools preparingstudents for future careers.Ohio’s Cincinnati Public Schools

developed the AP Blended Learning pro-gram to improve students access to rigor-ous learning opportunities and improveequity of learning. The blended learningprogram consists of face-to-face instruc-tion and individualized student learning.The district provides every student with adevice and wireless internet access.Technology enables many more studentsaccess to AP courses, improving theireducational experience.“Digital learning approaches have

already proven their power to supportdeep student learning at scale. The robust,

protected Internet backbone thatConnecticut provides to schools remainsa critical component in allowing them totake advantage of the tools, devices, andpersonalized learning methods that theyhave adopted,” said Mark Raymond,Chair, Connecticut Commission forEducational Technology.In the report, SETDA includes rec-

ommendations for policy makers andschool leaders:• Leverage technology for innova-tive pedagogical approaches: Focuson academic goals and use technolo-gy to support learning experiencesthat prepare students for collegeand/or careers• Ensure digital access and equity:This will continue to be a challenge,but every child deserves access topersonalized, student-centered learn-ing experiences• Plan infrastructure for the future:School leaders should plan strategi-cally for reliable high-speed broad-band access to ensure sustained andseamless access to learning tools• Build networks for the future:Sustainable and reliable networkswill depend on school leaders’ exam-ination of every level of digital learn-ing implementation• Influence federal and state policiesand funding: Federal and state poli-cies should keep broadband accessand connectivity at the forefront oftheir priorities“Today’s students need equitable,

robust bandwidth access to ensure thatengaging, personalized learning experi-ences are being implemented for all.Skills based on dynamic digital instruc-tional materials, online simulations, cod-ing, and content creation are essential to astudent’s success for today and into thefuture. Connectivity is a key variable tomaking this happen,” says CandiceDodson, Executive Director of SETDA.

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7 ways to secure district-wide teacherbuy-in for new techTeacher buy-in carries a tremendous amount of weight when it comes to an edtech initiative's success—here's how to get it

BY SUSAN OEHLERTZParent engagement is a driving fac-

tor behind any child’s success inschool—but a recent nationwide sur-vey of more than 1,000 teachers foundthat parents are often disengaged intheir child’s learning journey. To har-ness edtech tools that can help school-home communication, it’s essential tofirst secure teacher buy-in.More than half of the teachers sur-

veyed believe parents do not understandthe importance of their involvement intheir child’s school experience, andthey assume education is a teacher’sjob–not a collaborative effort betweenparents and teachers.As the district technology integra-

tionist in a rural Title 1 district, I contin-ually look for affordable and/or freeedtech resources that will bridge thecommunication gap between teachersand parents. But those resources alsorequire teacher buy-in.Up until four years ago, our district’s

main communication line with parentswas the traditional “old school” format.We would send countless paper copiesof information home with students intheir book bags at the end of the week,and those same papers were comingback the following week because par-ents weren’t checking their child’sbackpacks regularly.A drastic change in our communica-

tion efforts with parents needed tooccur. After researching numerous plat-forms to help with parent-teacherengagement, I discovered ClassTag, asimple and free communication plat-form to address the problem of stream-lining teacher and parent conversations.In order to get teacher buy-in, I knew

I needed to just introduce the ClassTagfeature that would instantly save them

the most time – scheduling parent-teacher conferences. Past practice hadmy teachers creating parent-teacherconference slips to “send home in back-packs” where parents would “sign-up”for times. When and “if” those slipscame back, teachers were spendingcountless hours “scheduling” those stu-dents to coordinate times with other sib-lings, etc.As soon as I introduced the parent-

teacher conference feature to my teach-ers, they were instantly on board. Infact, within minutes of teachers creatingtheir conference schedules, they wereseeing parents “grab” spots. This imme-diate feedback by several parents reallyreinforced the value of making a changein the way we communicate with ourparents. We had nearly 100 percent par-ent participation too.To achieve outcomes like this,

regardless of the problem you’re solv-ing or the solutions you want to gain,you need to get teachers excited andengaged so they see value in integrating

the technology. You need teacher buy-in. My motto is: Teachers need to beequipped with a big digital toolbox.They need to have the right tools in theirtoolbox to efficiently and effectivelyperform the task at hand.Here are seven tips to encourage per-

sonal development and create district-wide teacher buy-in for new technology:1. Allow six months of advance

prep time to identify pain points beforeyou implement any new solution. Talkto teachers and ask them what theirbiggest challenges are. Look for trendsamong these challenges so you can pri-oritize what to address first.2. Research possible solutions and

identify the one that meets your criteria.Especially consider price, ease of use,and functional features. When trying tofind a way to fix my district’s parent-teacher conference problem, I needed aplatform that was sophisticated whilebeing intuitive for parents and teachersto use. Since budgeting is a big concernfor my district, I also needed to look for

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options that were free.3. Don’t assume your students’ par-

ents don’t have access to technology.Although I work in a rural, Title 1 dis-trict school, we have a 1:1 student digi-tal device ratio and every parent hasaccess to a smartphone.4. Once you’ve narrowed down your

edtech tool search, create an accountand play around with the technology.Familiarize yourself with how it works soyou’re prepared to get teachers excited.5. Run a focus group with key

teachers. Have these teachers test outthe technology for two or three monthsto acquire data points before setting upadministrative meetings.6. Showcase the technology at a

faculty meeting at least two monthsbefore teachers will start to implement.Use your focus teachers to reinforce,

provide positive feedback, and getteachers excited. With ClassTag, once Ishowed teachers how quick and easy itwas to sign up and all the valuable fea-tures, they became eager to use it.7. Once you’ve identified and solved

a pain point, excitement over the newtechnology becomes contagious. Manyplatforms do more than one thing. Eventhough we initially introduced ClassTagto streamline parent-teacher confer-ences, this app encourages engagementin many ways, Leslie Aden, our 5th and6th grade language arts teacher, findsClassTag an efficient way to contactparents instantly on their communica-tion channel of choice regarding weath-er announcements, party planning, orstudent hurrahs and concerns.Additionally, she’s also able to commu-nicate directly with her class and other

classrooms in the school.Technology can solve a number of

problems facing educators, and it can doso in a cost effective and easy-to-use way.Professional development focused

on technology can secure teacher buy-inby clearly showing teachers how newtools will help them build a better class-room. By doing this, you can effectmeaningful changes quickly, in a waythat motivates everyone–parents, teach-ers, and students.

Susan Oehlertz is the DistrictTechnology Integrationist at PocahontasArea Elementary, and is passionate aboutfinding purposeful ways to integrate tech-nology into all areas of education whohas presented at numerous technologyconferences. Follow her blog here, andfind her on Twitter @MrsSOehlertz.

BY DAVID SOEDEToday, education is far more flexible

and collaborative than a generation ago,and technology is key in enabling teach-ers to quickly adapt lesson plans to suitthe moment’s activity. Having multiplescreens that a teacher or student canwirelessly project to, along with theability to switch between sources in sec-onds, means that teachers aren’t tied tothe front of the classroom any more.They are free to roam around to smallgroups, to see what students are work-ing on simultaneously, and to call atten-tion to particularly high-quality work orideas that challenge and stimulate.But all that technology does students

little good if it can’t function properlybecause your school’s IT infrastructureisn’t up to the job. At Central CoastGrammar School in Australia, whenDirector of Teaching and Learning

Damon Cooper pushed for more flexi-ble and collaborative classrooms, weknew we would have to redefine ourinfrastructure.Prototyping a vision withspare partsFor more than a year, Cooper piloted

his vision of multi-screen classrooms bypiecing together whatever spare partswe had on hand. If I retired a screenfrom another part of the school or had aspare from a bulk purchase, he wantedit. Over that period, Cooper workedclosely with me to prototype his vision.That work functioned as a proof of con-cept and fit nicely with our strategicplan, which called for an increasedfocus on digital literacy, greater collab-oration, and developing students whocan produce and publish digital work.Once Cooper could show the teach-

ing and learning benefits of multi-screen classrooms, he convinced hiscolleagues to push for a refurbishmentthat would eventually include collapsi-ble walls for combining classrooms forteam teaching, writable glass panels forvisual learning, a film studio to allowstudents to demonstrate what they arelearning through multimedia produc-tion, and, of course, multi-screen class-rooms to showcase those productionsand enable student collaboration.Understanding the needLike any school, we weren’t looking

at introducing multi-screen classroomsonto a blank slate. We already had a sig-nificant challenge in supporting thetools our teachers and students wereusing. We are 1:1 with a mix of devices:iPads for grades 1–3, Windows 10 lap-tops for grades 4–9, and a BYOD pro-

Here’s how to support multi-screenclassroomsAn IT director describes how his team unleashed teaching and learning by revamping their infrastructure and supporting multi-screen classrooms

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Guides K-12 IT Solutions Trending News

gram for grades 10–12. For faculty andstaff, we offer Windows 10 2-in-1tablets and also support the smart-phones and tablets that most of the fac-ulty and staff bring in with them.Our wireless platform and web-fil-

tering system had to be robust, easy touse, and device- and operating-systemagnostic to support that variety. Weknew that would also be true for ourwireless video projection (WVP) plat-form. Even our youngest studentswould need to be able to use it, after all.Cooper’s early work showed us that

our existing wireless platform couldn’tcope with WVP at the quality we neededacross the school, so once we hadapproval to refurbish B Block, the area ofthe school we decided to focus on, we gotserious about finding the right wireless,networking, and WVP platforms.Finding the toolsWe tested four major wireless, three

major networking, and nine WVP plat-forms. All told, we tried about 100 dif-ferent combinations, all with lots of dif-ferent devices—including productsfrom HP, Dell, Microsoft, and Apple—running the full gamut of laptops,tablets, and smartphones.It was important that our wireless

system be an integrated solution with asingle management interface, whichruled out multi-vendor network andwireless solutions.Choosing a wireless networking sys-

tem became a two-horse race, withUbiquiti becoming our provider. It wasthe only product that could balance thewireless access point (WAP) load basedon bandwidth instead of user connec-tions. In a situation in which you havethe same number of students on twoWAPs that are balanced only accordingto connections but several students areusing the WVP on one, that WAP willdrop packets while the other has idlecapacity. If they can balance accordingto bandwidth instead, the load is sharedand quality improved.We began our search for an appropri-

ate WVP platform with clear prioritiesin mind:

1. Quality and performance2. Reliability and support3. Ease of use for staff and students4. Cross-platform compatibility5. AffordabilityWith those criteria in mind, we tested a

range of WVP products. Some were verygood in their own ecosystem but pooracross all operating systems and hardwareplatforms. Others lacked necessary fea-tures like central management. Imaginehandling 150 firmware updates manual-ly—or worse, having them auto-updateand break your WVP so you have to man-ually fix each one via firmware rollback orconfiguration modification. That’s thestuff IT nightmares are made of.Eventually, we settled on Vivi because

it combines high-video quality with cen-tralized management and designed-for-education features that make it simple fora teacher to allow or prevent a studentfrom projecting their screen to one or allscreens in a classroom. The ability toextend (not just mirror) a screen allowsteachers to multitask by streaming avideo while marking an attendance roll,for example, or presenting slides whileviewing speaking notes. The touch returnfeature allows junior school teachers torun interactive projectors or touchscreensand be mobile in the classroom.Fantastic video quality is great—and

necessary—but it comes with band-width requirements of around 100 mbpsper stream. Supporting that much datameant adding more wi-fi in a higher-density space than schools and officebuildings typically have, and that in turnmeant we had to significantly increasewireless performance.Remaking the capabilityI designed copper mesh shielding to

split B Block into four zones, a world-first building design, which allowed usto pack in 24 5GHz WAPs running40MHz channels to serve 45 screensand Vivis. B Block has two 10Gb fiberconnections to our primary data center,while all other buildings, which don’thave multi-screen classrooms, onlyhave single 10Gb fiber cables.The shielding and bandwidth were

only necessary because the multi-screenclassrooms created a high-density layoutwith many sources and screens in usesimultaneously. With more spacebetween the rooms or a single screen perclass, we could have gotten away withless bandwidth and no copper shielding.Our primary data center features a

generator backup and we have a second-ary data center with an uninterruptiblepower supply also on site. We run about60 virtual servers across eight physicalDell servers with approximately 100CPU cores and 1TB of RAM. We havea few hundred TB of storage acrossSAN tiers of SSD, SAS, and SATA, allfrom Dell. More than 60 enterpriseswitches, including three differentmodels from UniFi, give us good net-work capability, and 150 WAPs, alsofrom UniFi, provide both excellent sitecoverage and high throughput.We figured out really early during

our WVP testing that the entire path—device to WAP to network switch tocable to WVP—was critical in resultingvideo quality. Schools don’t need towipe out their existing network and wi-fi hardware to adopt a WVP, but regard-less of the platform they choose, youcan’t simply install it and go withoutconsidering the other elements.Untethering the classroomWe refurbished B block over a holiday

break, and our high school students weredownloading and connecting their smart-phones and laptops via the WVP appwithin minutes of returning to campus.When you have thousands of devices onthe network, it has to “just work” all thetime or the impact is so high that staff andstudents will stop using it.But with a little determination, solid

planning, and the willingness to reimag-ine what your school’s IT capabilitiescan be, unleashing the screens—and thelearning—is easily manageable.

David Soede is the director of infor-mation and communication technologiesat Central Coast Grammar School inAustralia. He can be reached atdavid.soede@ccgs.nsw.edu.au.

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5 ways our centralized LMS supports UDLHere’s how our LMS supports UDL and helps us create an anytime-anywhere learning environment for students who get taught from where they are—not fromwhere we “think” they are

BY NICK WILLIAMSApplicable to every student in every

classroom, the Universal Design forLearning (UDL) principles of offeringmultiple means of representation,action and expression, and engagementhelp teachers leverage every child’sstrengths while supporting a very per-sonalized learning path based on stu-dent choice. When your LMS supportsUDL, students reap the benefits.Unlike pedagogies that attempt to

teach to a broader group of studentswith a broad brush, UDL encompassesa wide swath of learning content—lec-tures, lessons, videos, audio recordings,group projects, individual projects,etc.—to help the modern-day studentreach his or her fullest potential.As we’ve all come to learn, manag-

ing digital content along with making itavailable to the people who need it isn’teasy. Enabling access for students andparents is equally as challenging, as isproviding ongoing professional devel-opment for teachers who are using UDLevery day in their K-12 classrooms.5 ways our LMS supportsUDLWhen we kicked off a new initiative

focused on student-centered learning,our district started looking for an all-in-one learning management system(LMS) that would serve as a stagingarea for our UDL and project-basedteaching models. Not only would it giveteachers and students the freedom toselect their preferred tools, but it wouldalso integrate with Google, keep every-thing in a centralized place, and enablehigh-quality professional developmentfor teachers.After a comprehensive review, we

narrowed the field down and opted foritslearning because it offered strong

support for UDL. Today, we have 98percent usage across our K-12 district,which is 1:1 for grades one through 12(kindergarten is 3:1). Here are five waysour LMS supports UDL and project-based teaching while transforming thelearning process:

1. Gives teachers and studentsfreedom, voice, and choice. Choice isat the heart of UDL, a framework thatrecommends flexibility and an option-rich curriculum that offers learners mul-tiple means of engagement, multiplerepresentations of content, and multiplemeans of action and expression. Wedon’t evaluate based on how much tech-nology a teacher is using, and we don’tpush out all the curriculum to our teach-ers saying, “You have to teach this onthis day.” Teachers have a lot of free-dom about how they address curriculumand how they reach their goals. OurLMS also goes hand-in-hand with our1:1 initiative, which we use in gradesone through 12.

2. Integrates with Google. This is atremendous win for us. Our robust LMSjust links the tools together, so there’s alot less work on the teachers’ end nowin terms of organizing or collecting

learning content. They don’t have toteach the students how to share Googleassets because they already know howto do it. This helps to break down someof the barriers in terms of access toassignments and documents. It’s alwaysgood to be able to give students the free-dom to use tools like Google, whichthey’re comfortable with, instead ofsaying, “you have to use this tool inorder to make this specific design andturn in the assignment.”

3. Helps teachers break the “strictcurriculum” mold. As a former APbiology teacher, one of the biggest chal-lenges I dealt with was having to followa strict curriculum. We just didn’t havea lot of time to teach in the first place,and then we had to give rigid tests at theend of the course. There just wasn’tmuch flexibility. A lot of teachers dealwith this issue, and getting them to uti-lize technology tools and to understandthat students can learn from videos, bydoing projects, and from reading, hasdefinitely presented a learning curve atour district. As a former teacher, forexample, I found that homework was agood starting point for this transforma-tion. I would always give them a study

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Guides K-12 IT Solutions Trending News

guide that went along with the text andthe unit, and let students make a video,create doodle diagrams of a chapter, orwrite an essay—all of which can beuploaded to, managed by, and stored ina centralized LMS that integrates withGoogle.

4. Provides a wide array of qualityacademic resources.We currently haveover 3 million pieces in our library ofcurriculum, plus various curriculumassets that teachers can use by signinginto our LMS (which is accessible24/7). Using these quality academicresources, students are free to expressthemselves in what they know, versuswhat we “think” they know. It alsoopens up an entirely new world for

teachers, who can use video, audio,Google, and myriad other free tools tocreate content. Instructors can then storethe content in a single location that’saccessible to students, parents, or any-one else who needs it.

5. Serves as our professional devel-opment hub. Because UDL isn’t taughtin every preservice undergraduate meth-ods course, we do quite a bit of profes-sional development for teachers, all ofwhich is managed in our LMS—whichis basically our professional develop-ment hub. We have coaches or “UDLfacilitators” in our buildings, conduct-ing weeklong UDL institutes over thesummer. We also offer new teacheracademies throughout the year which

are quarterly check-ins with teachers tomake sure the UDL model isn’t toooverwhelming for them. Today, roughlyone-third of our new teacher orientationis focused on what UDL is and what itmeans. All staff have individualizedprofessional development through theLMS platform to meet the needs of theirbusy schedules. Because all of this con-tent is in our hub, it’s consistent acrossthe district no matter where you’re at.Everybody knows how to use it, andeverybody’s expected to be in it.

Nick Williams is the director of tech-nology for Bartholomew ConsolidatedSchool Corporation in Columbus,Indiana.

BY CHRIS CUMMINGS ANDBRETT WILLIAMSSeveral school district officials have

told us they want to embrace our philos-ophy of empowering students andteachers through technology innova-tion, but lack the right infrastructure tosupport this vision. After our districtcompleted a three-year, district-widetechnology refresh cycle, we wanted toshare our top takeaways to help ourpeers get more educational benefitsfrom your network infrastructure.Lesson #1: Organizationalstructure mattersLike many districts, in the past our IT

department delivered products and serv-ices as a separate entity from our curricu-lum and instructional development staff.Now we’re all organized under the sameleadership and our joint team is headedby a chief learning officer.This reorganization resulted in a

strategic shift to giving our curriculumstaff the voice that drives our services. Inother words, they provide the curricularvision and then we meet their expecta-

tions by delivering the right technology.Having a strong and collaborative rela-tionship is critical for determining theinfrastructure our district needs for thepersonalized learning and user experi-ences that support our district’s mission:“Every student enters with a promise andexits with a purpose.”Lesson #2: Stay close tousers during a tech upgradeIn addition to our curriculum and

instruction teams, we maintain goodcommunications with building princi-

pals, teachers, staff, students, and vol-unteers. We provide them with a clearunderstanding of our technology visionand the capabilities of our district infra-structure. This information allows ourusers to consider what classroom andoperational innovations they can intro-duce to leverage the technology we pro-vide to enhance classroom experiences.Lesson #3: Pursue anongoing refresh strategyInstead of undergoing a massive

infrastructure refresh once every fiveyears, pursue a rotational schedule totackle parts of your network every year.This enables you to meet new demandsas they arise while also smoothing outcapital budget cycles and stayingfocused on mission-critical tasks byeliminating the inherent distractionscaused by major upgrade initiatives.When pursuing this strategy, keep an

eye on technology innovations to deter-mine which ones to adopt immediately,because they add value and are cost-effective, and which to delay until alater date.

7 strategies to navigate a tech upgradeWith 53,000 students, 6,500 employees, and buildings spread across 88 square miles, our network refresh at Klein ISD taught us a thing or twos

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Lesson #4: Partnerships arekey to success

Strong technology partnerships areinvaluable, such as the one we enjoywith wi-fi innovator Aruba, a HewlettPackard Enterprise company, for suc-cessful user-experience outcomes. Asmobility and wireless become tablestakes for successfully educating stu-dents, it’s imperative that your technol-ogy partners have an innovationpipeline and roadmap aligned with yourneeds. In addition, solutions you pur-chase should include the flexibility toevolve your infrastructure, rather thanrequiring you to rip out and replacetechnology every three to five years.Lesson #5: Get an intuitivenetwork optimization tool tomanage the loadIn addition to the demand for high-

performance connectivity by desktops,laptops, tablets, and phones, whetherdistrict-issued or BYOD, it’s likelyyou’re also experiencing escalatingdemand from IoT devices. These rangefrom webcams, VR/AR solutions, anddigital signage to wireless operationssystems like HVAC sensors, bus-diag-nostic systems, irrigation systems, andsecurity solutions.That’s why we advocate for intuitive

network optimization tools, which any-one on your IT staff can use, to effec-tively manage infrastructure perform-ance across all of your campuses. Withsuch tools, you’ll uncover existing andemerging bottlenecks via visual dash-boards, with drill-down granularity,enabling you to determine the bestcourse of action before teachers andlearners are affected. The most innova-tive tools are now incorporatingmachine learning for proactively identi-fying where you should make improve-ments.In addition to managing perform-

ance, use your tools to continuouslytrack usage trends. Doing so enablesyou to provide intelligent answers to

district officials, school board members,and, if you’re taxpayer-funded, the pub-lic. What’s more, you can stay ahead ofnew demands because you’ll know howmany devices your network can sup-port.Lesson #6: Ensure yournetwork security solution isvalue-addWith ever-more devices come added

security concerns that make it impera-tive to adopt a scalable, user-friendlynetwork access solution. The best toolsautomatically build a database of everydevice that connects to your network,allowing you to quickly establish appro-priate device profiles and policies. Forexample, a wireless webcam doesn’tneed access to your email server, but ateacher’s laptop does.Further, we advise taking a detailed

approach to profile mapping. Forinstance, differentiate between varioustypes of IoT devices to give smart TVsfast access to the internet while restrict-ing plumbing sensors to communicatingwith a specific internal application.For us, after establishing device pro-

files, our network access control solu-tion automatically assigns the properpermissions and provides smooth expe-riences for thousands of connections—with no further manual intervention.What’s more, we’re considering optionsfor adding intelligence with machinelearning to detect suspicious devicebehavior faster than humanly possible.Lesson #7: Think about userexperiences wherever you areLast, but by no means least, we pay

attention to how technologies are usedoutside of K-12. For example, duringthe recent Aruba Atmosphere confer-ence, we heard about the new mobilewayfinding and location-aware tech-nologies at large football stadiums andshopping malls. Among other things,these innovations give users turn-by-turn directions and can detect whereusers are within a facility, based on the

device they’re carrying.This discovery led us to discuss how

everyone can relate to being in unfamil-iar surroundings, such as finding a sev-enth-period history class for the firsttime, locating an elevator if you’re awheelchair user, or attending a district-wide event at a building you’ve nevervisited before.We also considered location-aware

technologies from a safety and securityperspective, as they can enable quicklygrabbing the nearest automated externaldefibrillator or, if there’s an HVAC situ-ation, show maintenance staff where thevalve is that they need to shut off.Externally, by providing an app andmaps to local emergency personnel, wecan help our first responders navigatequickly during an event.What’s more, our facilities are used

by the community during off hours,which typically requires printed mapsand someone’s time to direct traffic.Wayfinding technology can eliminatesuch waste and inefficiency by enablingpeople to get where they need to go.In other words, truly empowering

our district goes beyond providing wire-less and wired computing access. It’sabout thinking in broader terms andenvisioning how innovations deployedin other industries can improve userexperiences and educational outcomeswhile also contributing to safety, securi-ty and operational efficiency.

Chris Cummings is the IT director atKlein Independent School District (ISD)in the greater Houston community ofKlein, Texas, with more than 20 years ofexperience in technology and education,including various leadership roles.Cummings also serves as a volunteer fire-fighter.

Brett Williams is a system engineer atLayer 3 Communications. He is the for-mer assistant manager network infra-structure at Klein ISD in Klein, Texas,with nearly a decade at the district in var-ious IT roles.

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Guides K-12 IT Solutions Trending News

BY MICHAEL UELSES

Demographics:Nazareth Area School District is

an eastern Pennsylvania school districtwith more than 4,800 students acrosssix schools.Biggest challenge:Facing increasing demands to pro-

vide exceptional experiences for bothstudents and teachers, our legacy net-work was simply not able to keep pace.We needed new network technologycapable of supporting the digital cur-riculum within the classroom while alsoproviding reliable wireless coverageoutdoors to support the district’s newsecurity strategy and emergency pre-paredness app. We realized that meetingthese needs would require us to modern-ize the network from the edge to thecore and that the solution would have tobe both utility grade and simple todeploy.Solution:We chose to deploy new wired and

wireless solutions to ensure high per-formance. After a thorough evaluationof our options, we decided to go withAruba and are now running two 8320switches as the foundation of our net-work. With the ArubaOS-CX operatingsystem, these switches give us a fullyredundant network that makes failovers,whether planned or unplanned, com-pletely undetectable by our users.Here's how one district prioritized

wi-fi access in and out of the classroomAdditionally, with Aruba we were

able to deploy outdoor wi-fi for the firsttime. As a critical component of ournew security initiative, we cover theentire perimeter of each school with wi-

fi to ensure that faculty and staff areable to use our response tool, NaviGatePrepared, anywhere on campus inorder to quickly determine who isaccounted for and who isn’t during anemergency.Reliable wi-fi has also improved the

use of innovation within our classrooms.Now that teachers are confident in thewireless network, they are evolving theircurricula to include technology such ascoding, robotics, Google ExpeditionsVR Classroom kits and a wide range ofother digital learning tools.Lessons learned:• When you implement the right net-work, you’ll know it – when we firstdeployed Aruba wi-fi, all the connec-tivity problems we’d experienced inclassrooms vanished.• Everything ultimately connects backto the core of the network, so choos-ing a redundant and reliable coreswitch is key to implementing othertechnologies.

• When choosing a wireless provider,it’s important to consider how theywill support applications for the class-room, especially in a 1:1 initiative.• If you’re considering ways toenhance student security, consideryour connectivity outside as well asinside in order to have reliable com-munication during an emergency.

Next steps:Our facilities management staff is

looking at new ways to add buildingautomation and access systems to ournetwork.In order to ensure the advanced data

security required for IoT devices, we areadopting ClearPass Policy Manager.We are planning to enhance our stu-

dent success with more cloud-basedsolutions for teaching, learning andadministration.

Michael Uelses is the director of infor-mation technology in Pennsylvania’sNazareth Area School District

How we turned around our ability to support wi-fi innovationEnabling digital learning is important—here's how one district made wi-fi a priority inside and outside the classroom

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AVID Education72 Johnny Cake Hill RoadMiddletown, RI 02842(401) 846-1300

AVRover1720 Military RoadBuffalo, NY 14217(716) 684-8200

BandH B2B420 9th AvenueNew York, NY 10001(212) 239-7500

BakpaxPO Box 164Milford, NJ 08848(856) 818-4162

Belkin International, Inc.12045 E. Waterfront DrivePlaya Vista, CA 90094(310) 751-5100

BenQ America3200 Park Center Drive, Suite 150Costa Mesa, CA 92626(866) 600-2367

Best Buy EducationBest Buy Corporate Campus, 7601 Penn Avenue SouthRichfield, MN 55423-3645(612) 291-1000

Blank Technologies Corp.2321 Kenmore AvenueBuffalo, NY 14207(718) 488-7005

BLaST Intermediate Unit 172400 Reach RoadWilliamsport, PA 17701-4183(570) 323-8561

Blocksi, LLC228 Hamilton Avenue, 3rd FloorPalo Alto, CA 94301(650) 521-9976

Boxlight1045 Progress CircleLawrenceville, GA 30043(866) 972-1549

Bretford11000 SeymourFranklin Park, IL 60131(847) 678-2545

BTI16651 E Johnson DriveIndustry, CA 91745(626) 336-6878

Company Profiles

19© eSchool Media Inc., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Guides K-12 IT Solutions Company Profiles

Bump Armor458 Dansbury Road, B-3Milford, CT 06776(415) 347-8039

Bytespeed, LLC3131 24th Ave SouthMoorhead, MN 56560(877) 553-0777

Casio America, Inc.570 Mt. Pleasant AvenueDover, NJ 07801(973) 361-5400

CDI Technologies500 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 600Chicago, IL 60611(888) 226-5727

CDW / CDW-G75 Tri-State InternationalLincolnshire, IL 60069(847) 465-6000

Century Link, Inc.100 Centurytel DriveMonroe, LA 71203(318) 388-9000

Certica Solutions, Inc.301 Edgewater Place, Ste 110Wakefield, MA 01880(781) 245-4515

Charter Communications(Spectrum Business)12405 Powerscourt DriveSt. Louis, MO 63131(314) 965-0555

Cherry5732 95th Avenue, Suite 850Kenosha, WI 53144(262) 942-6508

Chromebookparts.com777 Harding Street, NE, Suite 100Minneapolis, MN 55413(844) 840-4664

Cisco Meraki500 Terry A Francois BlvdSan Francisco, CA 94158(415) 632-5800

Cisco Systems, Inc.300 East Tasman DriveSan Jose, CA 95124(408) 526-4000

Citrix Systems, Inc.851 W Cypress Creek RoadFt. Lauderdale, FL 33309(954) 267-3000

ClassLink45 E Madison Avenue, Suite 7Clifton, NJ 07011(862) 225-1540

Clear Touch Interactive561 Keystone AvenueReno, NV 89503(775) 473-9199

Clear Winds Technologies, Inc.13001 Liberty PkwyVestavia Hills, AL 35242(205) 986-4490

Coffman Media6365 Shier Rings Road, Suite DDublin, OH 43016(614) 389-3456

Computer Dealers & RecyclersGlobal, Inc.615 W. Wilshire Blvd, Building 1100Oklahoma City, OK 73116(405) 749-7989

Connection Public SectorSolutions732 Milford RoadMerrimack, NH 03054(800) 800-0019

ContentKeeper Technologies5241 E. Santa Ana Canyon, Suite 120Anaheim, CA 29807(657) 224-1021

Crestron Electronics, Inc.15 Volvo DriveRockleigh, NJ 07647(201) 767-3400

CrisisGo, Inc.130 S Bemiston Avenue, Suite 501St. Louis, MO 63105(314) 669-9022

CTL Corporation9700 SW Harvest Ct., #100Beaverton, OR 97005(866) 814-9380

Datum Storage Solutions89 Church Road, PO Box 355Emigsville, PA 17318(866) 875-9594

DecisionEd Group9901 Valley Ranch Parkway East,Suite 1060Irving, TX 75063(972) 462-1263

Dell Computer, Inc.One Dell WayRound Rock, TX 78682(512) 728-4200

Discount Two-Way Radio1430 240th StreetHarbor City, CA 90710(800) 895-5122

Distribu-QPO Box 105Greendale, WI 53129(262) 320-7345

Docusign221 Main Street, Suite 1550San Francisco, CA 94105(877) 720-2040

Drobo1289 Anvilwood AvenueSunnyvale, CA 94089(408) 454-4200

Empow Studios1776 Massachusetts AvenueLexington, MA 02420(617) 395-7527

Encore Data Products, Inc.1729 Majestic Drive, Suite 2Lafayette, CO 80026(303) 926-1669

20 © eSchool Media Inc., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Company Profiles

En-Net Services712 N. East StreetFrederick, MD 21701(301) 846-9901

Epson America , Inc.3840 Kilroy Airport WayLong Beach, CA 90806(562) 290-5156

Ergonomic Group, Inc.609-3 Cantiague Rock RoadWestbury, NY 11590(516) 746-7777

Ergotron1181 Trapp RoadSt. Paul, MN 55121(888) 743-1119

Extreme Networks, Inc.6480 Via Del OroSan Jose, CA 95119(408) 579-2800

Extron Electronics1025 E. Ball Road, Suite 100Anaheim, CA 92805(714) 491-1500

Facilitron, Inc.485 Alberto WayLos Gatos, CA 95032(800) 272-2962

FireFly Computers1271 Red Fox RoadSt Paul, MN 55112(612) 564-4088

Frontline/ SchoolImprovement Network32 West Center StreetMidvale, UT 84047(800) 572-1153

Fujitsu America, Inc.1250 E. Arques AvenueSunnyvale, CA 94085-3470(408) 746-6000

Girls Who Code28 W 23rd Street, Floor 4New York, NY 10009(646) 629-9735

Google, Inc.PO Box 2050Mountain View, CA 94042-2050(650) 253-0000

GuideK12PO Box 211223Eagan, MN 55121(651) 452-8133

Hayes Software Systems11910 Volente Road, Suite 6Austin, TX 78726(512) 219-7610

Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd.100 Spectrum Center Drive, Suite 350Irvine, CA 92618(949) 242-1300

Honorlock, Inc.2500 N Military Trl, #322Boca Raton, FL 33431(844) 841-5625

Howard Technology Solutions36 Howard DriveEllisville, MS 39437(601) 425-3181

HP Computer Corporation3000 Hanover StreetPalo Alto, CA 94304-1185(650) 857-1501

HuddleCamHD152 Robbins RoadDowningtown, PA 19335(610) 518-2200

Huron Consulting Group, Inc.550 W. Van Buren StreetChicago, IL 60607(312) 583-8700

Hyperion Partners400 South 4th Street, Suite 650Las Vegas, NV 89101(855) 213-7500

IBM Corporation590 Madison AvenueNew York, NY 10022(888) 746-7426

ICON Cloud Solutions480 Wrangler DriveCoppell, TX 75019(972) 786-9000

Illuminate Education6531 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 100Irvine, CA 92638(909) 576-7303

Impero Software823 Congress Avenue, Suite 1410Austin, TX 78701(844) 346-7376

InFocus Corporation13190 SW 68th ParkwayPortland, OR 97223-8368(503) 207-4700

Instructure, Inc.6330 South 3000 East, Suite 700Salt Lake City, UT 84121(800) 203-6755

iRobot8 Crosby DriveBedford, MA 01730(617) 945-8751

j5create1025 Cobb International Drive,Suite 210Kennesaw, GA 30152(888) 988-0488

JAMF Software100 Washington Avenue S, Suite 1100Minneapolis, MN 55401(612) 605-6625

JAR Systems10530 Portal XingBradenton, FL 34211(866) 393-4202

JourneyEd.com5212 Tennyson Pkwy.Plano, TX 75024(800) 876-3507

Jupiter ED5435 North Garland Ave, #140-237Garland, TX 75040(469) 236-1984

21© eSchool Media Inc., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Guides K-12 IT Solutions Company Profiles

Kajeet for Education7901 Jones Branch Drive, Ste 350McLean, VA 22102(240) 482-3500

Kensington1500 Fashion Island Blvd., 3rd FloorSan Mateo, CA 94404(800) 648-6323

Kiddom25 Kearny StreetSan Francisco, CA 94108(914) 348-1837

Konica Minolta101 Williams DriveRamsey, NJ 07446(201) 825-4000

LanSchool1009 Think Place Bldg 1 3J40Morrisville, NC 27560(888) 473-9485

Learning.com1620 SW Taylor, Suite 100Portland, OR 97205(503) 517-4447

LearnPlatform517 W. North StreetRaleigh, NC 27603(844) 944 - LEARN

Lenovo1009 Think PlaceMorrisville, NC 27560(919) 257-4808

Lightspeed Systems2500 Bee Cave RoadAustin, TX 78746(512) 439-3995

LinkIt80 5th Avenue, Suite 1104New York, NY 10011(212) 242-5065

Lock N Charge4510 Helgesen DriveMadison, WI 53718(888) 943-6803

Logisoft Computer Products,LLC6605 Pittsford Palmyra RoadFairport, NY 14450(585) 598-8650

Logitech, Inc.7600 Gateway BlvdNewark, CA 94560-1159(510) 795-8500

Lumens Integration, Inc.4116 Clipper CourtFremont, CA 94538(510) 252-0200

Mac to School1530 Montague ExpwySan Jose, CA 95131(415) 891-7113

Makey Makey1729 Seabright Avenue, Suite BSanta Cruz, CA 95062(831) 460-6242

ManagedMethods719 Walnut StreetBoulder, CO 80302(303) 415-3646

Mangus Health323 W Martin StreetRaleigh, NC 27601(877) 461-6831

MAXCases130 McCormick Avenue, Suite 104Costa Mesa, CA 92626(888) 799-6837

Microsoft CorporationOne Microsoft WayRedmond, WA 98052-6399(425) 706-3470

Mingtel, Inc.4108 W. Spring Creek Pkwy., Suite E300Palno, TX 75024(972) 378-5559

Mobile Advance203 Lemon Creek Drive, Unit DWalnut, CA 91789(888) 995-5988

Mobile Edge1150 N. Miller StreetAnaheim, CA 92806(714) 399-1400

MobileDemand1501 Boyson Square Drive, Suite 101Hiawatha, IA 52233(319) 363-4121

mytaptrack® by InspiredFutures AIPO Box 822Enumclaw, WA 98022(206) 295-7722

NEC Corporation of America3929 W John Carpenter FwyIrving, TX 75063(214) 262-6000

Java Connections, LLC dba LaptopsAnytime17304 Preston Road, Suite 800Dallas, TX 75252(877) 836-3727

LaptopsAnytime’s 10-years ofinnovations include configurableautomated checkout kiosks thatdispense laptops/tablets/portablepower chargers, rechargedevices, automatically returndevices back to pre-set image,Library ILS and/or LDAP/ActiveDirectory authentication, emailnotifications, full suite of inventorymanagement, audit trail and management reporting functionality.Three million plus annual check-outs worldwide!

Visit laptopsanytime.com andchargersanytime.com

For information email: info@laptopsanytime.com

22 © eSchool Media Inc., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Company Profiles

NEC Display Solutions3250 Lacey Rd. Suite 500Downers Grove, IL 60515(630) 467-3200

NetRef45240 Business Ct, Suite 200Dulles, VA 20166(844) 638-7331

Newline Interactive101 East Park Blvd., Suite 807Plano, TX 75074(972) 468-9728

NoteAffect1290 Bay Dale Drive, #324Arnold, MD 21012(410) 974-0505

Nutri-Link Technologies, Inc.281 Mavericks RunMartin, GA 30557(404) 437-7964

Optoma Technology, Inc.3178 Laurelview Ct.Fremont, CA 94538(408) 383-3700

Parago Software, Inc.3355 Lenox RoadAtlanta, GA 30326(404) 870-8519

PCMG, Inc.1940 E Mariposa AvenueEl Segundo, CA 90245-3457(310) 354-5600 x4106

PEPPMPO Box 213Lewisburg, PA 17837(570) 523-1155

PIPER2415 3rd StreetSan Francisco, CA 94107(415) 949-2083

PowerNotes820 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 350Chicago, IL 60607

Promethean, Inc.1165 Sanctuary Pkwy, Ste 400Alpharetta, GA 30009(678) 336-8053

Quest Software5 Polaris WayAliso Viejo, CA 92656(949) 754-8633

Raise3D43 TeslaIrvine, CA 92618(888) 963-9028

Ricoh Americas5 Dedrick PlaceWest Jersey, NJ 07006-6304(973) 882-2000

Riverside Technologies, Inc.748 N 109th CourtOmaha, NE 68154(866) 804-4388

Robolink5677 Oberlin DriveSan Diego, CA 92121(858) 876-5123

SAP Concur1919 Gallows Road, Suite 800Vienna, VA 22182(703) 506-7699

Scale Computing525 S. Meridian, Suite 3EIndianapolis, IN 46225(877) 722-5359

Schneider Electric200 N. Martingale RoadSchaumburg, IL 60173(847) 397-2600

School Device Coverage5010 Chesebro RoadAgoura Hills, CA 91301(888) 978-3515

SchoolPHONES.com div ofConnections Unlimited, Inc.3018 Ambrose AvenueNashville, TN 37207(800) 286-3481

Sector 5, Inc.2000 Duke Street, Suite 110Alexandria, VA 22314(888) 787-5884

NetSupport, Inc.6815 Shiloh Road East, Suite A-7Alpharetta, GA 30005(770) 205-4456

NetSupport provides IT management solutions forschools/districts to manage, collaborate, and monitor studentdevices and school-wide ITassets, while creating a safelearning environment. All new version includes features gaugingstudent wellness, improving efficiency, and controlling datasize.

www.netsupport-inc.com

Marcus KingsleyEducation Saleseducation@netsupport-inc.com(770) 205-4456

Scantron TechnologySolutions1313 Lone Oak RoadSt Paul, MN 55121-1334(800) 722-6876

affianceSUITE EDU puts thepower of a nationwide team ofon-site network, hardware, andprinter experts at your fingertips.Choose a la carte options orselect the whole solution. You’ve trusted Scantron assessment solutions—now trustour technology solution to manage your critical IT systems.

www.scantron.com/affiancesuiteedu

Mark McGuire Vice President, Technology SalesMark.McGuire@scantron.com(402) 697-3211

23© eSchool Media Inc., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Guides K-12 IT Solutions Company Profiles

SHI International Corp.290 Davidson AvenueSomerset, NJ 08873(888) 764-8888

Skalable Technologies4300 Stevenscreek Blvd, Suite 140San Jose, CA 95129(408) 890-5066

Skyward, Inc.2601 Skyward DriveStevens Point, WI 54482(800) 236-7274

Smart Tech Insurance255 Primera Blvd., Suite 160Lake Mary, FL 32746(877) 307-6777

SmartClass AS44 Tehama StreetSan Francisco, CA 94105(415) 295-2513

SmoothWall, Inc.8008 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 410Charlotte, NC 28226(800) 959-3760

Sourcewell formerly NJPA202 12th Street NEStaples, MN 56479(218) 894-5490

Spreaker.com195 Montague, 11th FloorBrooklyn, NY 11201

Status Solutions, LLC999 County Line Road W, Suite AWesterville, OH 43082(866) 846-7272

Staymobile1850 Parkway PlaceMarietta, GA 30067(678) 695-8535

Sunrise Hitek Group, LLC5915 N Northwest HwyChicago, IL 60631(773) 792-8880

Swank K12 Streaming10795 Watson RoadSt. Louis, MO 63127(800) 876-5577

Sycamore International431 W. Baltimore PikeWest Grove, PA 19390(866) 620-8434

TeamDynamix2200 West 5th Avenue, #220Columbus, OH 43215(877) 752-6196

Tech to School1530 Montague ExpwySan Jose, CA 95131(877) 255-8450

Technology Integration Group-TIG10240 Flanders CourtSan Diego, CA 92121(800) 858-0549

Technology Resource Advisors5381 North 118th CourtMilwaukee, WI 53225(888) 991-4145

Tembo, Inc.1639 N Hancock StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19122(215) 427-3608

Texas Instruments / DLP Division6550 Chase Oakes Blvd. MS 8469Plano, TX 75023(214) 567-5281

Texas Instruments, Inc. /Education DivisionPO Box 650311, MS 3821Dallas, TX 75265(972) 995-3773

The Douglas StewartCompany2402 Advance RoadMadison, WI 53718(800) 279-2795

The Social Express162 S. Rancho Santa Fe RoadEncinitas, CA 92024(877) 360-0155

Think Tank NTG101 W 84th DriveMerrillville, IN 46410(800) 501-3282

ThinkWrite Technologies250 Rancho BonitoFallbrook, CA 92028

Thule, Inc.2420 Trade Center Avenue, Suite ALongmont, CO 80503(203) 881-9600

Tools4Ever, Inc.300 Merrick Road, Suite 310Lynbrook, NY 11563(516) 482-4414

Sharp ElectronicsCorporation100 Paragon DriveMontvale, NJ 07645(800) 237-4277

Sharp offers a range of contentmanagement and workflow solutions to help educationalinstitutions enhance traditionalprinting and scanning usingemerging technologies.Additionally, Sharp AQUOSBOARD interactive whiteboardsprovide advanced features tomake lessons more creative andcollaborative.

business.sharpusa.com/Vertical-Markets/Education

Christine BushSenior Government and Major Account Executivebushc@sharpsec.com (804) 519-3703

TOPdesk USA, Inc.12301 Lake Underhill RoadOrlando, FL 32828(407) 613-5410

Toshiba America, Inc.9740 Irvine Blvd.Irvine, CA 92618(949) 587-6842

TouchIT Technologies10222 Pecan Park Blvd, Suite 3Austin, TX 78729(248) 764-1084

Trinity3 Technology2550 University Avenue W, Suite 315-SSaint Paul, MN 55104(651) 888-7922

Tripp Lite1111 W 35th StreetChicago, IL 60609(773) 869-1229

TutorOcean329 March RoadKanata, ON K2K 2E1Canada(888) 568-8867

Ultimaker150 Cambridgepark DriveCambridge, MA 02140(617) 714-4748

UNIT4 Business Software1000 Elm Street, Suite 801Manchester, NH 03101(877) 704-5974

UziBull (UZBL)212 L Technology DriveIrvine, CA 92618(949) 715-1174

V7 Ingram Micro Products3351 Michelson Drive, Suite 100Irvine, CA 92612(714) 566-1000Varitronics, LLC7200 93rd Avenue, N, Suite 120Brooklyn Park, MN 55445(763) 536-6443

ViewSonic10 Pointe Drive, Suite 200Brea, CA 92821(909) 444-8888

Vilros150 Oberlin Avenue N, Suite 11Lakewood, NJ 08701(855) 207-9254

Vivacity Tech213 4th Street E, #414St. Paul, MN 55101(877) 731-2069

Wiremaid Products Corp11711 W Sample RoadCoral Springs, FL 33065(954) 545-9000

Xirrus Riverbed680 Folsom StreetSan Francisco, CA 94107(800) 947-7871

XYZ Printing, Inc.20191 Windrow Drive, Ste BLake Forest, CA 92630(949) 484-7755

zSpace490 De Guigne Drive, Suite 200Sunnyvale, CA 94085(408) 498-413

24 © eSchool Media Inc., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

GuidesK-12 IT Solutions Company Profiles

CEO Rob Morrow rmorrow@eschoolmedia.com

Vice President, Online Products & Services Nancy David ndavid@eschoolmedia.com

Managing Editor, Content ServicesLaura Ascione lascione@eschoolmedia.com

Creative Director Chris Hopson chopson@eschoolmedia.com

National Director of Sales and Business DevelopmentStephanie Ciotola sciotola@eschoolmedia.comCaliann Mitoulis cmitoulis@eschoolmedia.com

Director, Client Services Denise Crowe dcrowe@eschoolmedia.com

Accounting & Vendor Data DirectorLee Calloway lcalloway@eschoolmedia.com

Director of IT Vincent Carlson vcarlson@eschoolmedia.com

Web Communications ManagerJeffrey Festa jfesta@eschoolmedia.com

eSchool News2275 Research Blvd. Suite 500 • Rockville, MD 20850 (301) 913-0115

All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those ofeSchool News or eSchool Media Inc. ©2018 by eSchool News.

For reprint permission contact: ndavid@eSchoolMedia.com

Co-Founder Larry Siegelman 1954–2002

eSchool News covers the intersection of technology and innovation in education. We focus on how technology can help educators improve learningand deliver instruction more effectively, enhance the student experience, and transform their schools.

About eSchool NewseSchool News covers education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and

new products. First published in March of 1998, eSchool News is a monthly print and digital newspaper providing the news and informa-tion necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and the internet to transform North America’s schools and col-leges and achieve their educational goals. The newspaper is read by more than 300,000 school leaders, and a companion web site—eSchool News Online—is visited by more than 500,000 unique visitors each month, including over 280,000 registered members.

eSchool News is a marketing solutions company serving the education technology industry. Throughout our 25-year history, we havecreated the most comprehensive portfolio of products and services in the industry. We offer access to the broadest reach and deepest rangeof education technology professionals worldwide across the entire technology spectrum: the creators, sellers, and buyers of technologyaround the world.Every day, our editorial, sales, and marketing professionals share their content expertise to help our customers grow their businesses.

We leverage the immediacy of online, the networking of face-to-face opportunities, the expert interaction of web seminars, and thebreadth and depth of print to create compelling, focused media that delivers measurable results.